Orioles outfielder Albert Belle confirmed yesterday he is suffering from a "wear and tear" injury to his right hip that will necessitate a lengthy winter rehabilitation for him to retain his everyday role in right field next season. "I want to be able to come back as a complete player," Belle told The Sun. "And hopefully with the rehab... with the strength and conditioning, I'll be back full force." Belle, for the first time addressing a condition that has dogged him for nearly three months, said he will take batting practice this weekend in Boston as a prelude to a possible return as designated hitter during next week's season-ending homestand.

Slowly, winter 2014 thaws. Very slowly. We will likely need all spring and summer to recover. Our house and immediate surroundings are a case in point. Most obvious are the potholes and ruts on the JFX and city streets. They remind me of virulent outbreaks of chicken pox each spring of my childhood. Potholes are everywhere; perhaps the outward and visible signs of post winter traumatic disorder, from which streets, infrastructure and people are suffering. PWTD seems greater than usual.

Dear Mr. Azrael: I own a condo, which has had three different tenants in the last four years. The condo is 14 years old and was occasionally used by members of my family during business trips mainly as a "bedroom" for the first 10 years. Last month, I made a visit to the condo for the first time since it had been rented. It has been unoccupied since January. To my horror, the condo was in poor condition with some very visible damage. I immediately called the agent who was handling the unit and told her to take it off the market.

So Ray Rice says he will consider retirement when he turns 30 years old . Can you really blame the guy? The running back plays one of the most punishing positions in sports. At least a dozen times a game - or more, if the Ravens are winning and he is running well - Rice runs full speed at 250-pound linebackers who are running full speed right at him. Those collisions are like slow-speed car crashes, and even modern technology can't create helmets that totally absorb the blows.

Around the house* Wash cutlery by hand unless manufacturer specifies that it is dishwasher safe. Avoid soaking in water, which can loosen wooden handles; dry thoroughly.* Check smoke alarm once a month. Light a match, extinguish flame and hold smoldering match beneath detector. Alarm will be activated if in good working order.* Freshen scent of household linens. Sprinkle a few whole cloves or pieces of cinnamon stick in drawer or on shelf when storing tablecloths, napkins and place mats. Place fabric softener sheets between sheets and pillow cases when storing.

The NBA confirmed reports yesterday that it will look into check payments made by Chicago Bulls star Michael Jordan."I wouldn't call it an investigation, but we are looking into it," NBA spokesman Brian McIntyre said after reports that two checks signed by Jordan and a copy of cashier's checks totaling $108,000 were found by lawyers and police in the estate of bondsman Eddie Dow.Dow's lawyer and his brother said the checks were to pay gambling debts incurred...

The Orioles know so much, they can operate without a general manager. They know so much, they can attempt to trade players with no-trade clauses. They know so much, they can identify medical problems that no one else detects. They can't blame this on Frank Wren, can they? No, and they can't blame Pat Gillick, either, even though their former GM embarrassed them last night by signing Aaron Sele right out from under their snooty noses. All the old scapegoats are gone. This was Peter Angelos' show, and he outsmarted himself.

When he looked at the X-rays of her 14-year-old knees on the light box, he made one of those low, groaning sounds you never want to hear from a doctor. He circled the calcium deposits in the joints with a grease pencil and pointed to the streaks in the bones that led into her shins. Osteoporosis, he said. There, he continued, pointing to another spot, you can see where the kneecap is deteriorating. As he talked, I stopped wondering whether my daughter would have to sit out the soccer season and started hoping she would walk across the stage to collect her high school diploma.

AS BRITAIN and France go, so goes Germany? Not necessarily. Europe's most enduring politician, Chancellor Helmut Kohl, makes the difference. Britain's Tories may have lost to the Labor Party and France, too, may have swung left, but Mr. Kohl remains serenely confident he can win a fifth term next year despite low marks in the polls and press predictions of defeat.If he rolls to victory once again, he will have a shot at replacing Prince Otto von Bismarck as Germany's longest serving chancellor.

You often hear the complaint that modern political campaigns are too nasty, which is often true. But it's also often true that they are too polite. So we're fortunate when someone violates the prevailing etiquette, forcing candidates and voters to confront matters we'd rather not but should. One of those moments came the other day when Sen. John McCain, Republican of Arizona, visited a New Hampshire high school. One brave youngster asked him, as courteously as possible, if at 71, he might be too old for the job he's seeking.

It was very gratifying to read that the Baltimore County Board of Education will review its rule against allowing craft fairs and other commercial events in schools ("Craft fair' policy to be reviewed," March 20). But so far, the director of physical facilities, Michael Sines, has not provided either sound information or informed opinion to help the board with such a review. For example, while Mr. Sines and his staff cited Harford County as one of several counties that do not sublease to private vendors, he neglected to mention that Harford County provides for fund-raising in schools even by for-profit groups, as long as there is a partnership arrangement with the school, so that both will benefit.

On the morning after the Preakness Stakes, Pimlico Race Course typically is home to a long-standing ritual: a huge cleanup effort to pick up thousands of empty beer cans, food waste and discarded clothing left behind by drunken infield revelers. But not this year. Thanks to the new ban on bring-your-own alcohol, this year's Preakness may be remembered - at least by the people who work the event - as the first in memory where they didn't have a foul stew of booze and other detritus to sweep away the day after the festivities.

You often hear the complaint that modern political campaigns are too nasty, which is often true. But it's also often true that they are too polite. So we're fortunate when someone violates the prevailing etiquette, forcing candidates and voters to confront matters we'd rather not but should. One of those moments came the other day when Sen. John McCain, Republican of Arizona, visited a New Hampshire high school. One brave youngster asked him, as courteously as possible, if at 71, he might be too old for the job he's seeking.

Anne Arundel County Executive Janet S. Owens is proposing to tax rental cars at Baltimore-Washington International Airport, possibly generating $1 million annually for the county. If approved by the General Assembly, the proposal could impose a tax of $1 or $2 per rental car as a way to pay for wear and tear on local roads caused by out-of-town drivers. Owens said she wasn't sure whether the proposal, in its early stages, would levy these amounts daily or per rental. "Most jurisdictions that have an airport do have a local tax, and I'm always looking for revenue," Owens said.

When he looked at the X-rays of her 14-year-old knees on the light box, he made one of those low, groaning sounds you never want to hear from a doctor. He circled the calcium deposits in the joints with a grease pencil and pointed to the streaks in the bones that led into her shins. Osteoporosis, he said. There, he continued, pointing to another spot, you can see where the kneecap is deteriorating. As he talked, I stopped wondering whether my daughter would have to sit out the soccer season and started hoping she would walk across the stage to collect her high school diploma.

Orioles outfielder Albert Belle confirmed yesterday he is suffering from a "wear and tear" injury to his right hip that will necessitate a lengthy winter rehabilitation for him to retain his everyday role in right field next season. "I want to be able to come back as a complete player," Belle told The Sun. "And hopefully with the rehab... with the strength and conditioning, I'll be back full force." Belle, for the first time addressing a condition that has dogged him for nearly three months, said he will take batting practice this weekend in Boston as a prelude to a possible return as designated hitter during next week's season-ending homestand.

Fans coming to Oriole Park this year will notice a new radar gun measuring the velocity of pitches, turkey sandwiches at Boog's mostly beef barbecue stand, and the inevitable wear and tear of a facility that turns five years old this week."

Toxic chemical poses big danger for community I attended the July 11 meeting at Solley Elementary School concerning the anhydrous ammonia that Baltimore Gas and Electric Co. is planning to truck into Brandon Shores in a few months. I was appalled to learn that BGE will put us at risk of the dangers associated with this chemical. If any of the trucks should have an accident and leak this chemical, or if there should be an accident transferring it from the truck to the tank, thousands of us within the 2.5-mile radius could die within five minutes.

Way up on tiptoes, they raise their voices and point. That's the way customers order at Chuckie's Chicken in Hollins Market, the oldest market in the city, where some stalls are so high you can barely see over them. "Unless you read lips, it's hard," said Irvin Kaplan, who has owned his stall longer than anyone else still selling in the market and virtually raised his son Chuckie, now of chicken fame, there. The up-on-the-toes ritual is about to change. The stalls will be lowered, the aisles will be widened and the worn concrete floors will soon be turned to tile at the Southwest Baltimore market.

Toxic chemical poses big danger for community I attended the July 11 meeting at Solley Elementary School concerning the anhydrous ammonia that Baltimore Gas and Electric Co. is planning to truck into Brandon Shores in a few months. I was appalled to learn that BGE will put us at risk of the dangers associated with this chemical. If any of the trucks should have an accident and leak this chemical, or if there should be an accident transferring it from the truck to the tank, thousands of us within the 2.5-mile radius could die within five minutes.